Among oil field chemicals are scale inhibitors, which are used in production wells to stop scaling in the rock formation and/or in the production lines downhole and at the surface. Scaling not only causes a restriction in pore size in the rock formation matrix (also known as `formation damage`) and hence reduction in the rate of oil and/or gas production but also blockage of tubular and pipe equipment during surface processing. To overcome this, the production well is subjected to a so called "shut-in" treatment whereby an aqueous composition comprising a scale inhibitor is injected into the production well, usually under pressure, and "squeezed" into the formation and held there. In the squeeze procedure, scale inhibitor is injected several feet radially into the production well where it is retained by adsorption and/or formation of a sparingly soluble precipitate. The inhibitor slowly leaches into the produced water over a period of time and protects the well from scale deposition. The "shut-in" treatment needs to be done regularly e.g. one or more times a year at least if high production rates are to be maintained and constitutes the "down time" when no production takes place. Over the year there is a reduction in total production corresponding to the number of down times during the squeeze/shut-in operation, as well as reduced production as the scaling problem builds up. However, in some instances the scale inhibitor is poorly retained within the reservoir rock matrix and short squeeze lifetimes are experienced. The net result in these cases is frequent well interventions which impact on both well productivity and field profitability.